A few thoughts: The question that almost has to be asked whenever a remake of a classic comes around is whether or not it even should exist in the first place. Well, I don't think this is by any means a "necessary" film, but it is a very good one. Something is lost with the inclusion of sound, but that doesn't mean this movie doesn't still have lots of atmosphere. As a horror image/symbol, Max Schreck from the original can't be beat, but the breathy and almost twitchy performance by Klaus Kinski here comes close enough at emulating the original while still adding plenty in its own way to work well as both a recreation and a unique beast. There are definitely some slow patches here and there, but the way it strays from the source material and focuses on different aspects of the story, fleshing out the background, keeps it from ever feeling like a straight imitation. It's not as great as the original, but it didn't need to be. It tells its story well and the ending is not only unexpected, but unforgettably great.
Fans of the original might enjoy this retelling, but I'd be more inclined to recommend this to fans of more experimental, slow-moving foreign films in general.
My grade: B
No comments:
Post a Comment